NANTON, Alta. – If Harold Andrew runs across an old wheel, discarded wood or a part from an ancient farm implement, he can probably figure out how to breathe new life into it.
When he and his wife Florence retired to Nanton from their Parkland, Alta., area farm 26 years ago, Harold felt at loose ends.
“I didn’t have any hobbies and this was something to put in the time,” he said.
When he came up with the idea of making windmills, cream separator discs were easy to come by. Friends donated them and the old Union Milk plant in Calgary turned over boxes of them.
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Now, with cream separators considered antiques and his disc supply drying up, he has switched to making the cups for his gently turning whirligigs out of eaves flashing bought from the hardware store.
The discs give each windmill a unique appearance. Each one is screwed to a bicycle rim to create an elaborate contrivance of silent, turning wheels spinning in every direction the wind blows.
His windmills are turning in his own backyard, across the alley at a neighbor’s place as well as Arizona, New Hampshire, Edmonton and at his son’s farm at Parkland.
But he doesn’t stop with windmills.
Using discarded machine parts, he fashioned a barbecue to look like antique tractors. Swaying in the backyard is a swing using giant wheels from an old hay mower owned by his mother.
The wrought iron rail leading to his house uses old wheels rescued from a forgotten farm implement.
The patio table and chairs are also different. Each seat comes from an antique tractor or mower and is welded to a disc from a discer to keep it stable.
Wood scraps from the farm and friends’ shelterbelts opened up a whole new world for Andrew. He builds ornaments out of soft woods like caragana and juniper, and plant hangers out of coconut shells.
As a special project last year he built a full-scale model of the town of Parkland, which celebrated a reunion this summer. Most of Parkland is gone, the church and homes lost in separate fires over the years.
The model buildings, which included the church, hotel, stockyards and elevators, were sold at auction during the reunion celebration.
